The young woman depicted here is the daughter of one of the artist's closest friends, Eugène-Pierre Lestringuez, who was introduced to the artist by Emmanuel Chabrier, a composer and friend of the artist. Chabrier and Lestringuez were both frequenters of Renoir's studio on the rue Saint-Georges and Lestringuez joined the reunions at the Café de la Nouvelle-Athènes. He also accompanied the artist on his first trip to Algeria in March-April, 1881. When Renoir visited the city from Cagnes he often dined at Lestringuez's villa in the Paris suburb Neuilly, where his children enjoyed playing with young Marie and Pierre Lestringuez whose portraits Renoir painted in 1912.

We are grateful for François Daulte's assistance in researching and cataloguing this painting.

François Daulte will include this painting in the forthcoming vol. III (figures 1906-1919) of his Renoir catalogue raisonné.